All,
In the spirit of community and transparency, I'm writing as PBS President and BX Manager to address the recent comments (since removed) making accusations relative to our South African bulb purveyor. Should anyone have concerns about the South African Bulb Company, we can assure you that we feel confident offering our members the opportunity to purchase their bulbs directly. It is our understanding that SABC is compliant with all rules and regulations and has possession of all necessary governmental requirements/permits as growers and distributors of bulbs from their nursery. Leigh and her husband are a small business and their reputation is their most important asset. Time-consuming and rigorous documentation was necessary for our orders - with the South African authorities. We spent time assuring that we covered all requirements from our European and American agencies too, as recipients of their material. All of our dealings have been above-board, as has all of SABC's growing and sourcing of their materials. The allegations made in the removed post were serious and contained accusations that are unfounded and unwarranted and that was what triggered removal.
We regret any concern or confusion this may have caused to some members. We remain committed to being the best we can be and are aware that poor ethical practices do exist. We took pains to assure SABC is growing many of their offerings themselves and most importantly, legally.
We asked Leigh to provide a short summary of her practices and she shared the following:
"The few growers that we purchase the bulbs in question from are all registered growers with permits including the government-owned nursery where there are fields of bulbs that have been growing for many, many years, even decades. The posting to your Forum simply does not understand how quickly South African bulbs grow in open ground. They may be unaware of the fact that some rare species. such as Strumaria prolifera for example, grow like weeds in cultivation. The market in rare South African bulbs has reached the point of no return. It is becoming increasingly difficult to source seed and young bulbs of 'rarities' or uncommon species, and as a result we are focusing on other species and cultivars that are good reliable performers for all gardeners. We also cannot compete against all the wild poached species that continue to flood the international market."
Thank you,
Bridget
In the spirit of community and transparency, I'm writing as PBS President and BX Manager to address the recent comments (since removed) making accusations relative to our South African bulb purveyor. Should anyone have concerns about the South African Bulb Company, we can assure you that we feel confident offering our members the opportunity to purchase their bulbs directly. It is our understanding that SABC is compliant with all rules and regulations and has possession of all necessary governmental requirements/permits as growers and distributors of bulbs from their nursery. Leigh and her husband are a small business and their reputation is their most important asset. Time-consuming and rigorous documentation was necessary for our orders - with the South African authorities. We spent time assuring that we covered all requirements from our European and American agencies too, as recipients of their material. All of our dealings have been above-board, as has all of SABC's growing and sourcing of their materials. The allegations made in the removed post were serious and contained accusations that are unfounded and unwarranted and that was what triggered removal.
We regret any concern or confusion this may have caused to some members. We remain committed to being the best we can be and are aware that poor ethical practices do exist. We took pains to assure SABC is growing many of their offerings themselves and most importantly, legally.
We asked Leigh to provide a short summary of her practices and she shared the following:
"The few growers that we purchase the bulbs in question from are all registered growers with permits including the government-owned nursery where there are fields of bulbs that have been growing for many, many years, even decades. The posting to your Forum simply does not understand how quickly South African bulbs grow in open ground. They may be unaware of the fact that some rare species. such as Strumaria prolifera for example, grow like weeds in cultivation. The market in rare South African bulbs has reached the point of no return. It is becoming increasingly difficult to source seed and young bulbs of 'rarities' or uncommon species, and as a result we are focusing on other species and cultivars that are good reliable performers for all gardeners. We also cannot compete against all the wild poached species that continue to flood the international market."
Thank you,
Bridget
